


You and I

by AngelsGuts



Category: markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Dudes Im Erek Derekson TRASH I love him so much, M/M, MORE SELF SHIPPING AW YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-26 18:17:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19773742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelsGuts/pseuds/AngelsGuts
Summary: Another WIP, RIPJust me and Ere bein HusbandsWe get a dogI love him





	You and I

Cold. It was so, _ so  _ cold outside. Michigan was  _ nothing  _ like Alabama. It was cold, it was windy, it was snowy, and it was out for blood. The bitterness rested on the tips of Erek’s ears, nose, and cheeks, the harsh wind painting them red as his body desperately tried to defend him from the thrashing air. He pulled into himself, trying to pull his coat tighter around his body. How anyone lasted more than a couple minutes in this weather baffled him, as he himself could barely stand it for more than a few seconds. He pushed his glasses up against his face, gloved hands trembling in the cold.

The sun was just overhead, the blue skies and soft white clouds tricking the eye into believing that paradise awaited just outside closed doors. It couldn’t have betrayed him any more effectively. His brows furrowed as he cursed the cold, popping his collar in hopes of trapping just a  _ little  _ more heat.

The snow crunched beneath his prosthetics, gripping them greedily with each step. He kicked at it a little, as though perhaps if he scorned it, it would revert back to grass, and he would be warm again. He wobbled a little, distracted by his scorn. He huffed, his breath puffing in front of his face and fogging his glasses. The horrors never seemed to stop, but that was just his luck. This dreaded driveway lasted far too long.

Erek carefully made his way up the stairs, desperately clinging to the railing to keep himself from falling victim to the sheets of ice beneath him. It seemed at every corner, every junction, Michigan was out to kill. This was the American equivalent to Australia, except cold, and instead of animals it was the land itself that threatened to tear out your jugular.

He stood in front of the door, rubbing his hands together and trying to regain feeling in his fingers before knocking gingerly on the door. He shifted his weight as he waited for his lover to open the door, preferring not to have to fish around his pocket for his keys and try to make use of them when he could barely even curl his fingers into a fist.

As he waited, he heard loud, quick-paced thumping, an excited “EREEEE” resonating from inside their small shared home. The small boy pulled the door open, a bright smile decorating his delicate features as his eyes shone with excitement. Erek could only stare at him, his breath catching as he marveled at how nice he looked when he actually cleaned himself up.

Erek blinked, shying away a little as his face flushed red, this time not because of the cruel wind. His hand came to scratch at the side of his neck as he avoided eye contact. Zacharie only giggled, stepping forward a little and coaxing Erek to move back a bit so they could leave. He closed and locked the door behind him, quickly moving to wrap his arm around Erek’s waist.

“Ere~” He cooed, snuggling his face into his chest. Erek smiled softly, his body already beginning to warm from his presence. “I missed you!~”

“I-I was just-” He laughed nervously, “I was just at the store…”

“What’d ya get!” Zacharie pulled away to look up at his husband, playful curiosity dancing in his eyes.

“O-oh- N-nothing actually I-I just- Uh-- L-looking…”

“Looking?” Confusion fell onto Zacharie’s delicate features, “For what?”

Erek smiled, now rubbing the back of his neck. “H-how about we discuss that somewhere warmer?”

“Oh yeah! Okay, c’mon!” Zacharie freed Erek from his grasp, taking his hand and gently walking him down the stairs and to the car.

They both got in, sighing softly as the warmth that had not quite faded from the vehicle thawed their frozen fingers. Erek quickly started the car, heat once more circulating and quickly melting the cold from their poor, fragile bodies.

They just sat there for a little, drinking up the warmth, until Zacharie hopped up suddenly, his hands coming to bap the dashboard - not loud enough to really startle either of them, but loud enough to get Erek’s attention. He looked over at him, pressing his now-fogless glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Tell me about what you were looking for!”

_ Oh no. _

Erek momentarily tensed, mind fishing for any sort of excuse.

“W-w-w-well ah-- I-I-I wa-was-ahhh…” He cleared his throat, eyebrows furrowing as he focused on simply forming words. With a soft sigh, he tried again. “I just... wanted to see if, if they had something I wanted. They did, but I didn’t wa-want to… To get it alone…”

Zacharie hummed, confusion once more painting his features as he leaned against the door and pulled his knees up to his chest in thought. “That’s an interesting situation, but okay I guess.”

Erek laughed nervously, adjusting his glasses nervously before straightening up and pulling at his seatbelt. “B-buckle up, okay? Th-there’s n-no sense in… in just sitting in the driveway, th-that’s no fun.”

Zacharie giggled, nodding and moving himself so he was sitting facing forward. He whined loudly as he leaned back, head resting on the back of his chair as he began to laugh and buckle in.

“I got my seat wet-” He whined between giggles.

“M-maybe you shouldn’t have put your  _ feet  _ on it, silly-”

Zacharie only laughed harder. He turned his head to face Erek, a dramaticized pout on his face. “It’s so awful, Ere, how will I survive?”

Erek shook his head, smile ever growing as he began to pull out of the driveway. “Y-you’ll just have to deal, I think.”

“Oh nooooo!” Zacharie still laughed, not even trying to stop as he enjoyed the atmosphere between them. “That’s awful,” he said, suddenly deadpan, “I can’t believe God hates me.”

Erek laughed now, louder than he usually did. He covered his mouth, shoulders still shaking with laughter as he pulled himself together. “C-come now, th-that isn’t true. I’m sure he uh- l-loves you the most.”

“Well he better start proving it,” Zacharie slapped the back of his hand onto the palm of his other one, “I’m suffering here and he needs to get on that pronto.”

Both laughed together. No matter the situation, no matter the condition of the weather or the effects of the stressors either of them faced, their time together was always soothing. Warmth radiated from within them, now, their happiness feeding off each other and swelling with every bite. 

The two chatted, unrestrained by the world around them. They drove down the many winding backroads, careful to not end up in a ditch. It didn’t take long for Zacharie to lay his head against Erek’s shoulder, chatting and drawing pictures in the air with his free hand.

The city lights dawned on them far too quickly for either of their tastes, traffic becoming stuffy as people went out for their lunch breaks. Cities were always so busy, Erek thought, it was strange to even be  _ in _ them sometimes. It was wild to him how they could live in a secluded little neighborhood, and then suddenly be amidst hundreds of people all at once. He was so used to life far away from  _ everything,  _ with dinners out being nothing more than a small sit down diner where their family filled up multiple tables, and maybe one other family that accompanied them. The change was… Intimidating. Nice, though, since now he was finally free of his father’s domineering looming presence. It was a nice arrangement. His dad was convinced he was straight, which he saw as some sort of blessing.  _ “I’d always known it was some sort of weird phase! Thank God you grew out of it!”  _ He’d laugh, but the very idea made Erek sick. At least it kept him a  _ little  _ at bay, though he constantly hounded him for grandchildren.

They had moved very very far away, back to Zacharie’s home state, once they were married. It was mostly a snap decision on both of their parts, taking whatever they deemed necessary and picking up and leaving one night with little more than a note and a small gift left behind to “thank” their host - his father. The drive to Michigan was  _ long, _ stretching over about a week. They had decided to take a some leisure time, the trip and the beginnings of their newfound freedom being their own personalized honeymoon. They stopped by truck stops at 3 in the morning, drove by beautiful fields, buildings, through cities and towns and backcountry… They stayed in a multitude of hotels, staying up telling stories until the sun shone over their tired bodies. They took life at their own pace, even if only for a little while.

When they finally got to Michigan, they decided to settle down in a very nice little area in the UP off of I-75. It was fairly close to the lake, which was nice, and a good couple of hours away from the Mackinac Bridge. In the summer, it was perfect - not overwhelmingly warm, but still nice. Bright and scenic, with trees lining near every road and wildflowers scattered between the bushes and in the tall grass. Deer frolicked between the trees, bears sauntered in their backyard in search for berries… It was a wonderland. 

That was, until Winter. Winters were harsh. Beautiful, but harsh. Snow often came far above Erek’s knees, rendering both he and his husband rather useless. The cold was something  _ very _ foreign for him. Going weeks without seeing temperatures out of the negatives felt  _ insane - _ he wondered how anyone lived like this. 

“Hey, doll, did you change where we’re going tonight?” Zacharie asked, pulling Erek out of his thoughts.

“Huh? Oh-! Ahh, n-no I- I’m sorry I… I was just… Thinking…”

Zacharie giggled, “I get it, it be that way. We’re not too far past it, we can turn around here and slide right back in!”

Erek nodded, making the correction and pulling into the Mackinac Grille - a place Zacharie remembered fondly from a family trip he took in his teenage life. He said it was “nice, but not like, fancy fancy, which means we can have a  _ good _ sit down dinner and also not be like. Business Men.”

They parked, looking at each other as they braced themselves for the cold. They both took a deep breath, smiling at each other before opening their doors and stepping out of the car. Zacharie whined immediately, causing Erek to laugh. They both quickly rounded the back of their car, huddling against each other to preserve any scrap of heat they could.

They walked up the steps, walking inside and finding a place to sit down. It was warm inside, the smell of food soothing them from the previous abuse of the Winter wind. They shimmied out of their coats, sitting across from each other at a two-seater in the far back corner. Immediately after sitting down, they grabbed each other’s hands, smiling brightly as they waited for the waiter.

Time went by, both of them talking excitedly as they waited for their food.

“No, I promise, the pineapple on the burger is  _ soooooo  _ good! Like. So good. You gotta try it - even if it’s just a bite! It’s the best thing ever.”

“I-I dunno, Zacharie, it sounds… Weird.”

“It isn’t weird!!! Why would it be weird?  _ You’re  _ weird!”

“N-no I’m… Pretty sure  _ you’re  _ the weird one here.”

“You’re just not used to Michigan culture,” Zacharie huffed, eyes gleaming mischievously. 

“I-I think… That…  _ May  _ be true, but I don’t think it… Erases that it’s weird.”

“Yes it does! It-! Oh-”

The waiter was back, carrying a round black tray on his shoulder, supported by his hand. He greeted them with a smile, waiting patiently as their hands slipped apart hesitantly. Their plates were set in front of them, served with the usual customer-service chime and bright smile. The lovers thanked the man before he left, now focusing on their meal.

Erek stared at Zacharie’s burger, a smile on his face as he cocked his head.

“What’re you looking at?” Zacharie prompted, quirking an eyebrow.

“ _ It’s weird, _ ” Erek responded, cutting into his baked potato.

“ _ It is not! _ ” Zacharie hissed, taking a big bite to prove his point.

Erek only laughed, beginning to eat his own meal as he watched pineapple juice flow freely down Zach’s arms.

“Heck-” Zach complained around a mouthful of food. He sat the burger down, shaking the napkin filled with silverware until the utensils tumbled out and he could wipe himself down. “I’m gonna smell like pineapple forever now. This is your punishment.”

Erek covered his mouth with the back of his hand, laughing softly. He swallowed before talking. “I-I think this is  _ your  _ punishment, not mine.  _ You’re  _ the one that wanted to get pineapple.”

“No, you’re wrong, I’m God and am never punished.”

“Yeah?”

Zacharie picked his burger back up, taking another aggressive bite, “Yah.”

Erek shook his head, going to take another bite before Zacharie’s fingers drumming on the table distracted him.

“You gotta take a bite - you promised.”

“I-I did- I did no such thing-”

“No, sh, you promised.” He ushered the burger across the table. Erek sighed softly, a lopsided smile on his face as he rolled his eyes and leaned forward to take a bite.

It… Wasn’t that bad, actually. The flavors mixed well, even the  _ textures  _ worked together. He sat up straight, face scrunching in thought. Where had it all gone so wrong?

“Do you like it?~” Zacharie coaxed, taking another bite.

Erek nodded slowly, swallowing and shaking his head. “That’s so weird…”

“Wh- It is not weird! You  _ just  _ said you liked it!”

“Mhm,” Erek agreed, wiping his mouth with his napkin, “that doesn’t mean it’s suddenly not weird. It’s weird that it tastes good - it’s weird that they go together.”

“Oh my God no it’s nooooot, you’re just gay.”

Erek snorted, shrugging as he returned his attention to his own meal. “S-so I am.”

“Word,” Zacharie nodded, eyes closing as though Erek had just finished a prayer.

Both of them laughed again, now paying attention to their own food. Snippets of conversation bounced between them, but Erek knew if he coaxed Zacharie too much, he’d go the entire time without eating more than half of his meal because he was distracted.

It wasn’t long before Zacharie finished, his burger completely gone and only a few fries left on his plate. It was amazing what a change of atmosphere could do for his appetite. He wiped his hands and mouth on the napkin, wiping up any pineapple juice that may have gotten on himself or the table. Erek watched him clean up, smiling around his fork as Zacharie near-obsessively picked up the silverware, plates, and napkins, putting them in a tidy pile and setting them out of the way.

“How was it, my love? Taste good? Isn’t it good? It’s  _ so  _ good.”

Erek nodded, a bright smile donning his features. When he swallowed, he replied, setting his fork down. His own meal was mostly finished as well, but he wasn’t quite as fast as Zacharie, who seemed to inhale as much of whatever was in front of him as he could. “Yes, it’s very good. Thank you for suggesting such a place.”

“Pshhhh,” Zacharie waved him off, a bit of a blush on his face, “please, don’t thank me. I just remembered that it was good and that we should go.”

Erek rested his head on his hand, eyelids drooping a little as he let himself fall into admiration. “It was a very good suggestion. We wouldn’t have gone here if you didn’t remember it, so I think that’s… Enough to thank you for.”

Zacharie’s cheeks tinted darker, an embarrassed laugh bubbling from him as he waved him off. “I’m just glad you like it, goober~”

Erek nodded, eyes locked on his lover. If he were given all the time in the world to look at his partner, it wouldn’t be nearly enough. He got so lost in him - every piece of him - all the time. His eyes widened when he realized he’d been staring, body shooting upright as a bright blush spread across his beautiful face.

“U-um- S-s-sorry I- I um-” He coughed, hand immediately going to his pocket to pull out a corner of his rag. “I just… You- You look so nice, and…”

Zacharie smiled widely, eyes sparkling under the light. “No, no, you’re okay! I like looking at you, too. If you weren’t so far away, I’d’ve had my little hands all over that pretty face of yours - oh, my lips too, obviously, but that’s a given~”

Erek laughed softly, shyly looking up at Zach. “I-I’d like that, I think-”

“You think?~” Zacharie teased, leaning forward and clasping his hands under his chin. “I just wanna kiss every freckle on your face~ Right down to your pretty lips~”

Erek stiffened, embarrassment shooting through his entire body. He laughed nervously, looking away as he folded into himself a little. “R-right down to my…” He repeated softly, his entire body blushing.

Zacharie had always made a big deal out of the little things, like the freckles across his face, or his eyes that, despite being brown just like Zacharie’s, were somehow “more beautiful” than his. He’d comment on wanting to kiss the gap between his front teeth, or wanting to pin his fluffy hair back with flower clips and make him into a fairy. His soft fingers would commonly trace along his legs when they laid together at night, eyes focused on where they ended, not wanting to touch them without permission. He’d always said he’d press kisses to them if Erek would let him, but Erek always brushed it off, saying it was weird and that he didn’t have to do that. It made Zacharie pout, but he didn’t push it in fear of upsetting Erek in some way. Instead, he’d move to lace their fingers together, snuggling up to his slightly larger frame.

Erek would never understand, but… If someone like  _ Zacharie  _ felt like he was beautiful, then… Then it must be  _ some sort  _ of true. He cleared his throat as he looked back at his lover, who was still looking at him with honey glazed eyes.

Zacharie slowly stood, rounding the table and wrapping his arms around Erek’s middle. He pressed gentle kisses to his cheek, slowly trailing to the corner of his mouth. Erek’s eyes fluttered shut. Zacharie’s kisses always made all of his stress melt away almost instantly. A finger hooked under his chin, pulling his face towards his lover’s so that he could press their lips together.

Erek’s hand came up to hold the one against his face, time stopping around him as everything but Zacharie melted from his mind. When he pulled away, Erek sighed, vaguely upset that the moment had to end at all. He stared into Zacharie’s eyes, the world slowly picking up its pace. 

“Almost ready to go, love?~” Zacharie cooed, offering a warm smile.

Erek nodded slowly, mind finally catching up to him. “Th-the uh- bill should… Be here... Soon…”

Zacharie nodded, pressing one last kiss to Erek’s lips before making his way back to his seat. Erek smiled to himself, fingers hovering over his lips. It wasn’t long before the waiter came with the bill, setting it down in front of them. They paid quickly, not wanting to have to wait around for him to decide their fate. They left a generous tip before bundling up and heading back out into the cold.

When they returned to the car, Zacharie was sure to express his discomfort.

“Oh my Gooooooooooooooooooooooood it’s so  _ cold _ !”

“Y-y-you’re the o-one that d-d-decided t-to live up here-” Erek pouted, his own teeth chattering from the cold. He started the car, arms quickly coming to hug himself to try and gather warmth.

“Yeah cuz it’s pretty - you know I don’t think about the consequences! If it’s pretty, I want it! It’s why I have you!”

Erek glanced at Zacharie, embarrassment lightly dusting his cheeks. “Wh-what do you mean…? You have me to… Make decisions?”

“Well yes, but that isn’t what I meant. I meant I have you because you’re pretty!”

His face flushed darker, his hands coming up in front of his face. He buried his nose between his palms. Zacharie only giggled at him, leaning against his arm.

“What? Was it something I said?~”

Erek whined softly, hands trailing down his face as he side-eyed his husband. When they dropped, he shook his head, a soft smile on his lips. “N-no… I mean, yes, but… No...”

Zacharie hummed in response, snuggling closer. “Okay, well, just don’t die, okay? Cuz then  _ I’d  _ have to die, and it’d just be this huge mess.”

Erek shook his head, “I-if you say so, Zacharie.” He pulled his seatbelt across his shoulder, clicking it into place.

“What’s that supposed to mean!”

Erek just laughed, pulling out of the driveway and heading to their next destination.

“I just think, m-maybe, with your love of m-m-money…”

Zacharie gasped, sitting upright and holding a hand over his chest. “You think I’d just take the insurance money and run!?”

Erek shot him a coy smile. “M-maybe. What do I know?”

“Well I’d sure hope you know I love you more than that! I’d be distraught if you died!”

Erek hummed, amusement on his features. “S-speaking of, why don’t you buckle up? The- the roads are icy and- and I wouldn’t be able to live without you.”

Zacharie warmed, the genuine words settling directly into his heart. He pulled at the buckle, securing it around him and humming softly. “I love you so much…”

Erek perked up a little, the smile on his face widening a bit. “I love you too…”

They drove in comfortable silence, the gentle hum of the car and the snow swirling around them providing a perfectly serene atmosphere. They were warm, full, and happy. Zacharie rested his head against Erek’s shoulder, eyes shut and a smile on his face. If they hadn’t been driving, Erek would have had him wrapped up in his lap already, fingers threading through his pink hair.

It wasn’t long until Erek pulled into a driveway, shutting the car off and gently running his hand through Zach’s hair. Zach’s eyes opened slowly, his smile falling slightly as he took in the area. 

“Where are we?” He asked, sitting up and stretching.

“C’mon, y-you’ll see.” Erek unbuckled himself, Zacharie doing the same. They left the car, Zacharie trotting to Erek’s side in fear of the unknown.

They made their way to the door, knocking gently. There were some barks, the rattling of what sounded like a cage of some sort. The door was opened, revealing an older lady and a playpen full of rambunctious Flat-Coated Retrievers. They ran around the pen, little puppy paws pressed against it as they yipped and their tails wagged. Zacharie squealed, pressing a hand over his mouth as he was filled with overwhelming happiness.

The older woman laughed, “Welcome, welcome! Come on in! It’s cold out there! You’ll freeze!”

The couple made their way inside, Zacharie toddling over to the puppies. He gave his hands out to them, squealing louder when they rubbed against them and licked them.

“Oh my gosh they’re so cute! You have so many!”

“Well yes! Our old girl just had her litter a few months ago! Gotta do  _ somethin’ _ with ‘em!”

Zacharie giggled, baby talking to the puppies. 

“You can go in with them! I’m sure they’d love ta slobber all over ya!”

Zacharie grinned widely, hopping the fence carefully and sitting down in the middle of about 7 puppies. He was attacked with kisses and puppies instantly, causing him to lay down as one pushed against his chest.

The woman pulled Erek off towards the kitchen, a bright smile on her face. “So, I take it you’re Erek?”

“Y-yes ma’am, that’s me.”

“And that out there - your girlfriend?”

Erek tensed, met with a common dilemma. “U-uh- W-w-wife, actually…”

“Oh, I see! And you brought her out here as a surprise?”

Anger twitched in Erek’s fingers. He knew she didn’t  _ mean  _ to misgender his lover, but she still  _ did  _ and it upset him. He simply nodded, not wanting to risk outing Zacharie and making things uncomfortable for him. It was a struggle that even Zacharie had troubles with - often reverting to his deadname when met with sudden strangers.

“She seems to really like them, huh?”

“Y-yes ah-”  _ Shit.  _ Now  _ he _ was going to have to- No. He wouldn’t. This woman’s confusion was nothing against Zacharie’s comfort. “He loves animals! Um… I… I don’t even know if he um... Knows that we’re… Going to take one home.”

The woman gave him a funny look. While he wanted to shrink back, he stood as tall as he could, not breaking eye contact.

“W-well then, I see!” She laughed nervously, completely lost. “Then I um… Hope you find the perfect one!”

Erek nodded, smiling kindly at her before they returned back to the living room.

“You like ‘em?” The woman asked a buried Zacharie.

“Yessss they’re so cute, I love them all so much, yes I do!~” He pet as many of them as he could, laughing and sputtering as they licked around his face.

Erek stepped forward, just to the edge of the pen. “Well, I hope you h-have a favorite.” 

Zacharie’s head snapped up, as much as it could from under a bunch of puppies. “Whayoomeen?”

Erek only smiled, petting one of the puppies that had come to check him out.

“Noooooo-” Zacharie grinned, carefully sitting up and hugging one of the dogs close, “You’re lying!”

Erek laughed, shaking his head.

“Oh no!” Zacharie laughed, attention being dragged from one dog to another, “How oh how will I pick! You’re all such beautiful babies! Yes you are! So good babies!”

The dogs attacked his face with kisses, some of them barking, yipping, and spinning in circles. He gave kisses to ones he could reach, pet the others. They were all pretty excited to meet the new people, dogs running between the two to sniff and kiss at them.

Zacharie would lift some of them up, checking gender and trying to get a feel for each one before making his decision. He’d nuzzle their noses together, earning kisses from most of them.

Soon enough, Zacharie offered a little boy up to Erek. “Here, hold him, he’s sweet.”

Erek’s eyes widened as Zach scooted closer to him so he could safely take the dog. He carefully took him from Zacharie, holding him in his arms and looking over. He was a beautiful black puppy, wiggly with bright eyes. He nuzzled under Erek’s arm, sniffing and letting out a happy huff. His tail swayed gently from side to side, picking up speed when Erek ran his fingers through his fur.

“Isn’t he cute! I love him.”

“Y-yeah?” Erek smiled at Zacharie, who was still petting the puppies in his lap.

“Mhm! He’s really sweet and so wiggly!”

Erek laughed softly. “If this is the one you want…”

Zacharie nodded excitedly, gently removing dogs from his lap before standing and carefully crawling back over the pen. He stood next to Erek, petting the puppy’s head. He looked back up at him, tail wagging more aggressively now as Zacharie pet around his ears.

“And what’ll ya name him?” The woman chimed from behind them, coming around the other side and smiling at them.

Zacharie hummed, looking up at Erek. Erek looked back, shrugging softly. “You chose him, I-I think  _ you  _ should name him.”

“Erek he’s our son now, we both have to name him.”

“D-doesn’t the mother usually n-name the- the child?”

“Only if the mother is selfish!”

Erek laughed, looking back down at the puppy. “I-I dunno… Y-you’re the creative one.”

“You’re a better artist than me.” Zacharie huffed, rolling his eyes, “But… I wanna name him something silly but cute… Like Buster! Or Eggplant!”

“E-eggplant…? I-I don’t… I don’t think so.”

Zacharie laughed. “I wanna name himmmmm…” He hummed, squatting so that he was face to face with the dog. “Hmmm.” He looked him over, scratching under his chin as he thought.

“Oh my gosh, Frito.”

“Fr-Frito?”

“Yeah! They’re my favorite, and I know he will be, too!”

Erek laughed, “I-I mean… I guess-”

“His name is Frito and I love him.”

Erek shook his head, smiling widely. “A-alright then um… Hold… Frito… Then…”

Zacharie nodded, holding his arms out for the puppy. Erek gently transferred Frito to his mother’s arms, reaching around for the money he had taken out from his account just earlier. While Erek and the woman worked out business in the kitchen, Zacharie sat on the floor with Frito, playing with him, kissing him, talking to him, bouncing him… Anything to pass the time. Soon enough, Erek returned, a smile on his face.

“A-alright-! Um… H-he’s ours now s-so-!”

The woman came around behind him, holding a big ziploc bag of dog food. “Here’s this, too! Just until you get situated! I recommend IAMS, since that’s what he grew up on!”

Both boys nodded, Erek now where he was happiest - at Zacharie’s side.

“Th-thank you so much, ma’am.”

“No, no, thank  _ you _ ! I hope you give little Frito there a good, loving home!”

“Of course!” Zacharie chimed, snuggling his face into the puppy in his arms, “we will give him so much love!”

“Well good,” the woman smiled, “Please take care! Drive safe!”

The two nodded again, heading outside and back to the car with Frito secured in Zacharie’s lap.

The three of them sat in the car, waiting for it to warm up. Zacharie pulled Frito up, giving his little chin and neck a flurry of kisses.

Erek smiled, happy to see Zacharie so happy. “H-he’s really cute…”

Zacharie nodded, looking over to Erek with a wide grin as he pulled the dog to rest on the side of his head. “I love him so much, Erek.”

Erek laughed, “I-I’m glad-! N-now we- we’ve gotta… Shop for him…”

“Ohhhhh we could get him a little bowtie and a matching leash and a cute lil sweater and-”

“W-we’ll see when we get there. We want to be able to p-pay our bills~”

“Unfortunate,” Zacharie mused, pulling Frito to lay his head on his shoulder. 

They drove without saying much to each other, Zacharie’s attention mostly on the sleepy puppy in his arms. He rocked him gently, cooing random nonsense to him, occasionally mentioning Erek. Whether that meant he was telling Frito how beautiful his husband was, or how much he loved him, or if he was berating him for not letting them buy out the entire store for the small dog, it simply depended. Nonetheless, Erek smiled softly as he listened to the mindless babble from his lover.

They pulled into the parking lot of the closest Petsmart. Zacharie unzipped his coat and shuffled Frito inside of it, to which Frito responded to with a wiggle and a flurry of kisses to his neck and chin. Zacharie giggled, petting the puppy’s head as he worked to zip his coat up. 

The family exited the car, huddled together as they made their way inside the store. Immediately, the sound of dogs yipping, squeaky toys, and the common sound of carts rolling down aisles filled their ears. Frito quirked his head to the sounds, yipping himself and wanting to play with the other dogs. It was a struggle for Zacharie to keep him contained as they walked up to a wall of collars and leashes.

“C’mon, Frito! Look at these, aren’t they cute! Frito no-!” A sweet laugh bubbled from Zacharie as he gave the puppy a gentle squeeze so he wouldn’t fall from his grasp.


End file.
